Haunting Angel
by irishrose2
Summary: My theory on how Spike returns. A response to a flashfic challenge.


Haunting Angel  
  
Dedicated to: ceitnicangus  
  
Rating: Pg-13  
  
Spoilers: post BTVS S 7 and Angel S4  
  
Disclaimer: The usual stuff, I own no one and nothing. All Joss's. You know the drill.  
  
Ships: Friendship - S/A & Wes/Giles  
  
A/N: OK, my own little set up of what could happen next season.  
  
**********  
  
Giles smiled as he woke up, it was actually quiet in his hotel room. No one beating down his door. No throng of teenage girls loudly arguing over who was next in the bathroom. It had been three months since they had closed the hellmouth in Sunnydale. Ok, so there wasn't a Sunnydale anymore, but at least there wasn't a hellmouth there either. Many of the slayers had returned to their homes and the Scoobies had set off a day earlier in search of yet more slayers.   
  
Giles rolled over in his bed and thought for a moment about sleeping in a bit. Goodness knows he hadn't had a lot of sleep in the last several years, he certainly deserved it.  
  
"Thank God, I didn't think you were ever going to wake up." Giles heard an all too familiar clipped British voice say.  
  
I must be dreaming, Giles thought to himself.   
  
"'ey, you awake over there? I saw your eyes you know." The voice said again.  
  
Giles slowly turned toward the voice and raised up on his elbows to peer into the morning light. What he saw confused him terribly. Sitting there, in the chair in his room, was a bleached blond vampire he was certain was dead.  
  
"I must say, this is a strange nightmare." Giles said.  
  
"Yeah well, it's not exactly what I was expecting either." Spike snickered. "Color me shocked at being here."  
  
"Spike, you're dead...er." Giles puzzled.  
  
"As a door nail." He replied.   
  
"But, your here. How? Why? And how did you....." Giles stuttered out.  
  
"No time for questions Rupert. We've got a vampire to visit." Spike said with a smile.  
  
**********  
  
"So let me get this straight..." Angel said. Some how Spike was in his office. "You're dead, dusted, but you're here. And for some reason haunting Giles?" Angel asked confusedly.  
  
"Seems I earned a bit of a reprieve from eternal damnation." Spike answered. "Not quite good enough to be upwardly mobile though. The guys in charge sent me back here, sans complete corporeal form, to continue my penance. Thus, bringing me...." Spike trailed off as he seemed to start staring into space. He continued that way for several seconds.   
  
"Spike? Spike. Spike!!" Angel shouted.   
  
"Well that was odd. Huh, now I know what Dru felt like." Spike said before adding indignantly. "And, I'm not haunting Giles, I'm haunting you. Was told you had to have a new seer. Seems someone up there thinks it would be right funny for me to be stuck with you."  
  
"Side splitting." Angel commented, before looking skyward. "You guys can't be serious. I mean, not even *I* was that bad. You had to stick me with Spike?"  
  
"Hey peaches, not like I'm jumping for joy here. Not even sure I *can* jump. Gotta say, this ghost gig's not so bad thus far though. OH yeah, that vision thing a second ago, some boy down in an alley on Lakeside 'bout to have a nasty run in with a metzumo demon."  
  
Angel rolled his eyes before scrubbing his face with his hands and groaning loudly.  
  
**********  
  
"So, Spike's a ghost who is now bound to Angel?" Wesley asked Giles. "All potentials are slayers, and you're hunting them down to train them, and you need me to act as their Watcher?" He said handing an ice cream cone to Giles.   
  
"Yes, that about sums it up." Giles said as they took a seat on a nearby park bench.  
  
"In case you've forgotten, the last slayer I had fired me and the other turned rogue." Wesley said looking pointedly at Giles.  
  
"No, no, I hadn't forgotten. But you've changed quite a bit since then. Time and experience has taught you valuable lessons. Not to mention, you still have all the qualifications for a Watcher. I can't think of anyone better to help these girls." Giles said.  
  
"Oh, you're dripping." Wesley said before he leaned over and took a large lick of Giles ice cream come.  
  
"Yes, please lick my ice cream cone." Giles said sarcastically and rolling his eyes. "I'm serious Wes. The council and these girls need you. Will you help us or not?"   
  
"Yes. But I can't leave Angel Investigations. I've some considerable resources here, perhaps the girls could be sent to LA once they've been found." Wesley said.   
  
"I think that could be arranged." Giles said smiling as he and Wesley shook hands.  
  
"Hey guys," Spike said as he walked up to the pair. "Gotta book. Boss man says you've got a job to do." And he tossed an axe to Giles and handed a small ornate sword to Wesley.  
  
"And we are the ones going because....." Wes replied.  
  
"Because," Angel said pulling up in his car, "I can't find Gunn, Fred is buried in the science lab, and I need you guys to help with this demon."  
  
"Right then, lead the way." Wes replied as he and Giles got in the car.  
  
**********  
  
"Ow, bet that hurt. Careful of that slime there Angel, wouldn't want any to get in that fancy hair style of yours." Spike said, leaning against a wall as Angel, Giles and Wesley each battled the massive metzumo demon.  
  
"Spike, are you going to be helpful or just provide us with your usual witless commentary?" Giles said as he brought his axe up again the demon's right leg, sending forth another geyser of purple slime.  
  
"Yes, you could assist here. Not like you have to worry about being injured." Wesley added as he ducked a swiping claw.  
  
"True, but it's much more fun to watch you wankers getting your arses kicked." Spike smiled.   
  
"Spike, so help me, if you don't find something to beat this thing with I'll find the nearest priest to exorcise you right into the next hell dimension."  
  
"Oh balls, well what the heck." Spike said as he picked up a discarded piece of pipe and joined the fray.   
  
Ten minutes later the demon had been defeated. The boy had run off as soon as they arrived and began fighting.. The four men each leaned against several crates piled up in the alley.  
  
"Spike, why are you panting? You're a ghost." Angel said glancing up at the blond ex-vampire.  
  
"Oh right, sorry. Got a bit caught up 's all." Spike said sheepishly. "You know, I could get used to this. Of coarse, having to trail after you all the time won't be any picnic."  
  
"Well, at least you have a purpose here. You have a means to do real good." Giles said, glancing at Spike. "All of you do." Giles said as he walked over to Wes and put his hand on his shoulder. "I'm very proud of what you've become here. I'm glad we'll be working together again old friend."   
  
Wes stared at Giles a moment before giving a small shake of his head.  
  
"Now," Giles added "If you'll excuse me. I've spent most of the last decade sans sleep and my first morning without a gaggle of girls since I can't remember when, I wake up to an annoying ghost in my room. I think I'd like to catch a bit of a kip." He said as he walked back towards Angels car.  
  
"Spike, why did you show up in Giles room anyway?" Wes asked.  
  
"Had to get you two back together somehow didn't I?" Spike smirked as he walked off behind Giles.  
  
"Wes my man, I think we're in for some *very* long days ahead." Angel said as the pair watched them leave.  
  
**********  
  
The End.  
  
Challenge: 1)1000 word fic. 2)Ships to include Spike/Angel and Wes/Giles 3) Must include the phrase "Yes, please lick my ice cream cone." 


End file.
